Top-seeded Williams comes back to edge Stephens in French Open’s 4th round; Sharapova out

PARIS — Serena Williams came back to edge Sloane Stephens 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and reach the French Open quarterfinals, managing to avoid joining Maria Sharapova on the way out of the tournament Monday.

In a riveting matchup between the last two American women in the draw, the No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams overcame her own wildness — she made 43 unforced errors, more than twice as many as Stephens’ 21.

For the third match in a row, Williams dropped the first set thanks to messy play before righting herself.

This season, she is 10-0 in three-set matches, 29-1 overall.

The 40th-ranked Stephens eliminated Williams’ older sister Venus in the first round and was trying to become only the fourth woman to beat both siblings during the same Grand Slam tournament.